The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, welcomed His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of the Armenian Church to Canterbury, along with Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Church in Britain.

The meeting took place at the Old Palace, next to Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday 28 January 2024.

The church leaders met three months ago in early October in Armenia, at the Armenian Church’s Holy See of Etchmiadzin. The Archbishop’s visit took place against the backdrop of the recent invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, and the flight of almost the entirety of the region’s 120,000 Armenians to Armenia itself.

At Sunday’s meeting in Canterbury, both leaders discussed once more the ongoing humanitarian crisis triggered by the invasion, including matters such as the welfare of prisoners and the protection of cultural heritage, and what assistance fellow Christians might be able to offer. The Archbishop assured His Holiness of his prayers for the Armenian Church and its people.